Lessons Learned For Effective FMEAs PDF

Copyright © 2007 IEEE.
Reprinted from "2007 PROCEEDINGS

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LESSONS LEARNED
FOR EFFECTIVE
FMEAS
Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 1

Agenda
1. Introduction
2. Risk Assessment
3. Key Factors for Effective FMEAs
4. FMEA Facilitation
5. Best practice for Successful FMEA
process
Prerequisite
This tutorial is “Intermediate” level
It is not an introduction to
FMEA/FMECA
It presupposes familiarity with
FMEA/FMECA

Purpose
The purpose of this tutorial is to share the
key factors for achieving success in
FMEAs, and to highlight an FMEA
process that is helpful for consistently
good results.

Review
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
is a methodology designed to:
Identify potential failure modes for a product or
process.
Assess the risk associated with those failure
modes and prioritize issues for corrective
action.
Identify and carry out corrective actions to
address the most serious concerns.
Introduction

Failure Mode & Effects Analysis
you either love it

or hate it

Everyone has an opinion!

Heard at the “Virtual” Water Cooler
“waste of time,” “lack of support,” “don’t

want anything to do with it”
“powerful tool,” “effective way to prevent
problems” and “needs to be done
across the board”

So, What’s the Truth About FMEA?
Is it a giant waste of time and

resources?
Or is it a powerful tool that is essential
to the goal of designing in reliability?

Drum Roll !
And the answer is …

It depends

OK, so what does the success of
this potentially powerful tool
depend on?

FMEA Success Factors
There are four broad success factors that are
critical to uniformity of success in the
application of FMEA in any company:
Understanding the basics of FMEAs and
Risk Assessment
Applying key factors for effective FMEAs
Providing excellent FMEA facilitation
Implementing a “best practice” FMEA

process

Understanding the
Basics of FMEAs and
Risk Assessment

Basics of FMEAs
There are many courses and tutorials that
exist covering the basics of FMEAs
It is essential to the success of FMEA
applications that the FMEA facilitator and
team thoroughly understand and can apply
these basics
Basics include FMEA terminology and how
to perform FMEAs

Risk Assessment and FMEAs
Risk assessment is used to identify which
FMEAs that will be done as part of product
and process development
Risk assessment is also an integral part of
the FMEA procedure
FMEA costs money to perform and should
be used where the highest risk is anticipated

Stay Focused on Risk
Perform preliminary risk analysis
Use FMEA method on higher risk areas, such as
New technology
New designs where risk is a concern
New applications of existing technology
Potential for safety issues
History of significant field problems
Potential for important regulation issues
Mission Critical
Supplier Capability
Avoid excessive time on lower risk systems

Level of Detail
Every part of FMEA procedure can

have too much or too little detail
It is up to the FMEA Team and
Facilitator to navigate the treacherous
waters of detail

Common Error
Too Much Detail
One of the most common errors of FMEA Teams is
too much detail
FMEAs with 100s of pages (small font) come from:
Boiler plates
Brainstorming gone amuck
Poor facilitation
Misses the “forest for the trees”

Misses or obscures the high risk issues that make
FMEA valuable
FMEA Teams get frustrated and derailed
FMEA gets a bad name
Common Error
Too Little Detail
FMEAs that are too generalized or

miss the high risk areas are all too
common
Not getting to Root Cause
Not developing the analysis fully for
the high risk areas
Not developing “executable” actions
FMEA gets a bad name
“The art of being wise is the art of
knowing what to overlook.”
William James, American Philosopher

Stay Focused on Risk
The Key is to be “Risk Conscious”

and to consistently keep the team
focused on risk

Key Factors for
Effective FMEAs

Learning the FMEA procedure is not
enough to be a successful FMEA
practitioner
Performing successful FMEAs requires
understanding and implementing the
Key Factors for Effective FMEAs

Maxim
“Good judgment comes from

experience and experience
comes from poor judgment”

What are the primary ways that FMEA
can be done wrong? (Mistakes)
What are the Key Factors that make for

effective FMEAs? (Quality Objectives)

Mistake #1
Failure to Drive Design or Process
Improvements
Some FMEAs do not drive any action at all
Some FMEAs drive mostly testing
Some FMEAs drive ineffective action

Quality Objective #1
The FMEA drives Product or

Process Design
Improvements as the primary
objective

A Note on Quality Objective #1
Reliability Engineering has a multitude of tools
to choose from in driving design or process
improvements
The key is to use the FMEA “Recommended
Actions” field to identify and execute best
practice tools that can optimize designs
This is one of the reasons that Reliability
Engineers need to participate on FMEAs

Mistake #2
Failure to Address All High Risk Failure
Modes
Risk thresholds can be defined by FMEA
Team, or set as company policy
In addition to high RPN or criticality, high
severity must be addressed
Some companies fail to take effective action
on all higher risk failure modes

The FMEA addresses all high
risk Failure Modes, as identified
by the FMEA Team, with
executable Action Plans.

The emphasis on this Quality Objective is to

ensure that all of the higher risk failure
mode/causes are adequately addressed
with effective actions.
Company policy or FMEA team will define
which RPNs or Criticality will rise to the level
of high risk
The key is effective action that reduces or
eliminates the risk
Mistake #3
Failure to Improve Test/Control Plans
Some companies miss the opportunity to
improve DVP&R Plan or Process Control
Plans based on failure modes from FMEA
Some FMEA teams do not include
knowledgeable reps from test department
Result is inadequate testing or control plans

The Design Verification Plan & Report
(DVP&R) or the Process Control Plan
(PCP) considers the failure modes
from the FMEA

The FMEA team will often discover Failure
Modes/Causes that were not part of the
Design Controls or Test Procedures
The key is to ensure that the test plan
(DVP&R) or Control Plan is impacted by the
results of the FMEA
This can be done by including test/control
membership on FMEA team or through well
written actions

Mistake #4
Not Including Interfaces in FMEA
Empirical data shows that at least 50% of
field problems can occur at interfaces
Some companies focus on part or subsystem
failures and miss the interfaces

The FMEA scope includes integration
and interface failure modes in both
block diagram and analysis

Interfaces can be included as part of the item
by item analysis or as a separate analysis
It is recommended that the preliminary FMEA
Block Diagram clearly show the interfaces
that are part of FMEA scope

Mistake #5
Disconnect from Field Lessons Learned
Some companies provide no linkage between
FMEAs and field data
It takes concerted effort to integrate problem
resolution databases with FMEA
Otherwise serious problems repeat

The FMEA considers all major
“lessons learned” (such as high
warranty, campaigns, etc.) as input to
failure mode identification

Field failure data can be brought into generic FMEAs
on regular basis
Then, when new program-specific FMEAs are
started, they benefit from field lessons learned
If generic FMEAs are not used, new FMEAs should
be seeded with potential field problems and show
how they will not repeat in the new design/process
The key is to hold the FMEA team responsible to
ensure that major field problems do not repeat

Mistake #6
FMEA Omits Key Characteristics
Many companies have a Key Characteristics
policy
FMEA can identify Key Characteristics for
special controls in manufacturing
Some companies miss this opportunity

The FMEA identifies appropriate Key
Characteristics candidates, if
applicable according to company
policy

This is an underutilized element of

FMEAs
SAE J1739 or the AIAG FMEA standard
uses the “Classification” column

Mistake #7
Doing FMEAs Late
Many companies do FMEAs late, and this
reduces their effectiveness
FMEAs should be completed by design or
process freeze dates, concurrent with the
design process

The FMEA is completed during the
“window of opportunity” where it can
most effectively impact the product or
process design

The key to getting FMEAs done on time is to
start the FMEAs on time
FMEAs should be started as soon as design
or process concept is determined
Exception is FMEAs done during trade off
studies, which can be started earlier

Mistake #8
Inadequate Team Composition
Some FMEA teams do not have the right
experts on the core team
Some FMEA teams do not have good
attendance
Some FMEA team members just sit in their
chairs and don’t contribute to team synergy

The right people participate on the
FMEA team throughout the analysis,
and are adequately trained in the
procedure

Participation of Subject Matter Experts
Actual survey of Reliability Engineering
internal customers on FMEAs:
FMEAs are too important to not do
But too time consuming to participate
FMEA Facilitator must value the time of team
members and not waste time

Added Note on Quality Objective #8
People have blind spots (scotomas)
Key is to get the people who are
knowledgeable and experienced about
potential failures and their resolutions
actually showing up at the meetings
Attendance takes management support
Team size is best between 4 to 8 people
If team gets too large, consider breaking into
additional limited scope FMEAs
Mistake #9
Improper Procedure
There are 100s of ways to do FMEAs wrong
Some companies do not encourage or
control proper FMEA methodology
Training, coaching, reviews are all necessary
to success

The FMEA document is completely
filled out “by the book”, including
“Action Taken” and final risk
assessment

One of the most common FMEA errors is to
fail to get to root cause
Expert input is necessary
Follow up actions based on poorly defined
causes will not work and FMEA will not be
successful

Mistake #10
Lack of Efficient Use of Time
Some companies mandate FMEAs, then do
not ensure the time is well spent
Pre-work must be completed, meetings well
run, efficient follow up of high risk issues
Ask FMEA team if there time is well spent,
and take action to address shortcomings

The time spent by the FMEA team, as
early as possible, is an effective and
efficient use of time with a value added
result

If this Quality Objective is met, then
future FMEAs will be well attended and
supported by subject matter experts
and management

FMEA Quality Objectives
1. DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS FMEA primarily drives Design Improvements
2. HIGH RISK FAILURE MODES FMEA addresses all high risk Failure Modes
3. DVP&R/CONTROL PLAN Comprehends failure modes from the Design FMEA
4. INTERFACES FMEA scope includes integration and interface failure modes
5. LESSONS LEARNED Warranty, field issues, “hardy perennials” included
6. KCDS CONNECTION The FMEA identifies appropriate KPC candidates
7. TIMING The FMEA is completed during the “Window of opportunity”
8. TEAM The right people participate as part of the FMEA team
9. DOCUMENTATION FMEA document is completely filled out “by the book”
10. TIME USAGE Effective and efficient use of time by FMEA Team

Meeting FMEA Quality Objectives
Make FMEA Quality Objectives part of FMEA
training
Review them at each meeting
Participate in FMEA Quality audits
Keep FMEA open until Quality Objectives are
met

FMEA Pre-Work Lesson Learned
Time spent prior to the first FMEA team

meeting can save valuable subject
matter expert time in meetings
Try to predict all of the documents that
will be needed during team meetings
and provide hard copies or on line
access

FMEA Scope Lesson Learned
A common problem with the scope of
an FMEA project:
Starting the FMEA meetings before the
exact scope is agreed upon
For example, need to agree on the exact
configuration of subsystems and
components, interfaces, indenture level,
role of suppliers, etc.
FMEA Scope
Subsystem A Subsystem B
1 2 3 4
System
Subsystem C
5 6 7

FMEA Assumptions & Limitations
A common problem with the assumptions
and limitations of and FMEA project:
Starting the FMEA meetings before the all
assumptions and limitations are agreed
For example, need to agree on assumptions
relating to design and process, part
quality/usage, analysis level of detail, etc.

Excellent FMEA
Team Facilitation

The Subject of FMEA Facilitation
FMEA facilitation is a different subject than

FMEA methodology.
To be successful, FMEA leaders need to
develop expert facilitation skills

What are Characteristics of
successful FMEA Facilitation?
Facilitator must be well trained in effective
meeting facilitation techniques
Facilitator must know FMEA procedure and
use of software
FMEA team members need to be trained in
overview of FMEA procedure
Good facilitation is key to prevention of high
risk problems without wasting time
Primary FMEA Facilitation Skills
Brainstorming and Probing Questions
Encouraging Participation
Active Listening
Controlling Discussion
Making Decisions
Conflict Management
Managing Level of Detail
Managing Time
Common Facilitation Problems
Best Practice for
Successful
FMEA Process

What is an FMEA Process?
The company-wide systems and tasks
essential to support development of
high reliability products and processes
through timely accomplishment of well
done FMEAs.

Why Implement an FMEA Process?
(Why not just start doing FMEAs?)
Primary reasons for ineffective FMEAs (based

on practical experience):
1. Insufficient strategic or resource planning
2. Doing FMEAs improperly (“check off” item) or too late
3. Lack of management sponsorship and support
4. Failure to execute Recommended Actions for high risk
issues
5. Not meeting FMEA Quality Objectives
6. Failure to address supplier issues
7. Failure to incorporate Lessons Learned from past
FMEAs or test and field data
8. Failure to integrate FMEAs with other key processes
FMEA Process addresses
these issues and ensures
successful FMEA application.

EFFECTIVE FMEA PROCESS
Planning Stage Performing FMEAs Stage Review Stage Implementation
Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
FMEA Quality Actions
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
(Optional) Develop Eliminate Risk
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Resource (Xfmea) Supplier
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
Failures 8 Processes
9
Integrated Software Support

10 Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 72
Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
9

1A
FMEA Strategic Planning

Strategic decisions to be made by management:
1. What types of FMEAs will be done? (Design, Process, Equipment,
Maintenance, etc.)
2. What selection criteria will be used to identify new FMEAs? (new
designs, new processes, etc.)
3. What is appropriate FMEA timing? (for example: prior to design
freeze, while designs or processes are being developed)
4. What FMEA standard will be used? (J1739, MIL-STD-1629A, etc.)
5. What Generic FMEAs will be developed? By whom?
6. What Program-specific FMEAs will be developed? By whom?
7. What level of detail is needed for Generic or Program-Specific
FMEAs? (System, Subsystem, Component, etc.)
1A
FMEA Strategic Planning (continued)
Strategic decisions to be made by management:

8. Will FMEA Quality Surveys be used to gauge FMEA
effectiveness? If so, how will this be done?
9. How to implement Quality Audits for ongoing improvements to
FMEA process?
10. How will FMEA projects be tracked?
11. How will FMEA Post-Analysis Lessons Learned be captured?
12. How will FMEAs be archived for easy retrieval?
13. What linkages are needed to other processes (FRACAS, DVP&R
Plans, Design Reviews, Process Control Plans, etc.)
14. How will Supplier FMEAs be handled? Who will review and
approve Supplier FMEAs for critical parts? Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 75
1A
A Note on FMEA “Timing”

(for Design and Process FMEAs)
FMEAs need to be done during the “window of
opportunity” to best impact design of product or process.
For Design FMEAs:
Too early: before design concept is established
Too late: after design freeze
Ideal: while design of product is being developed
For Process FMEAs:
Too early: before manufacturing or assembly concept is
established
Too late: after manufacturing or assembly process is finalized
Ideal: while design of the manufacturing or assembly process is
being developed
1A
A Note on FMEA “Level of Detail”

FMEAs can be done at system, subsystem or component
level.
When deciding the scope of FMEA, keep in mind:
Size of FMEA team should be in range of 4 to 8 for an effective
core team focus and efficiency
Too few participants can result in absence of important expert
input
Too many can result in unmanageable FMEA team meetings and
wasted time
Assign as many FMEA projects as is necessary to address
risk, and still keep teams to manageable size
Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
9

1B
FMEA Resource Planning

Resource decisions to be made by management:
What software is needed? (such as Xfmea or other relational
database, FMEA project tracking, etc.)
Where will the homeroom for FMEA expertise reside? (FMEA
process, FMEA facilitators, etc.)
Who will perform FMEA facilitation and administration?
What is the FMEA training plan for facilitators, teams and
management?
What should be composition of core FMEA team?
How will Management support be provided?
What is content and frequency of management reviews?
What approval for FMEA Recommended Actions?
What FMEA reports are needed and when?

1B
A Note on FMEA “Homeroom”

A “homeroom” is important to support FMEA
process and execution
Roles and responsibilities include:
FMEA facilitators
FMEA training support
FMEA common process and standards
FMEA software
FMEA methodology expertise
FMEA quality audits
Without an effective “homeroom,” the results of
FMEA can vary and become ineffective
1B
A Note on FMEA “Training”

FMEA Facilitator training:
How to perform effective FMEAs
Overview of FMEA process from viewpoint of facilitator
How to facilitate effective meetings
FMEA team member training:
Basics of FMEA procedure
Management training:
Effective FMEA process from viewpoint of management
Roles and responsibilities needed to support effective
FMEAs
1B
A Note on FMEA “Management Support”

The importance of broad support from management in
implementing an effective FMEA process cannot be
overstated:
Provides agreement on strategy and supports needed
resources
Assists in integrating FMEA with other business
processes
Provides effective reviews of higher risk failure modes
and recommended actions
Provides attendance of expert FMEA team members
Heroes
“Heard at a seminar. One gets a good
rating for fighting a fire. The result is
visible; can be quantified. If you do it
right the first time, you are invisible.
You satisfied the requirements. That
is your job. Mess it up, and correct it
later, you become a hero.”
W. Edwards Deming
Out ofCarlthe Crisis
Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 83
Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 78
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
9

2
Generic FMEAs
Definition:
FMEAs that contain both historical (empirical) and
potential Failure Modes, Causes, Controls, etc.
Done at the generic level of the system, subsystem
or component, not program-specific
Done once, then updated (as needed) from Test
and Field data and/or new technology
Strategic Decisions:
Will Generic FMEAs be done?
Which ones, what content, standard, level of detail,

etc.?
2
Generic FMEAs (continued)

For each Generic FMEA (complete these steps):
Assign Generic FMEA facilitator and team
Establish Generic FMEA timing and scope
Gather past relevant FMEA(s) from Archive, and all
needed pre-work documents and information
Perform FMEA analysis (according to FMEA
standard) up to Design or Process Controls
Generic FMEAs can be used for:
Design Trade Studies
Input to Program-specific FMEAs
2
A Note on Doing Generic FMEAs

Generic FMEAs are optional
Requires up-front commitment
Payoff is not immediate
Most useful if the product line is
relatively stable over time

Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
9

3
Program-Specific FMEAs
Definition:
FMEAs that focus on specific applications
Either tailored from Generic FMEAs or newly done
Completed through entire FMEA worksheet
Strategic Decisions:
Which programs will get FMEAs?
What FMEAs will be done for each program?
What FMEA types, timing, standard, level of detail, how to
handle suppliers, etc.?
How will management review and approval be achieved?
How will Program-Specific FMEAs be tracked to assure timely
and successful completion and risk reduced to acceptable level?
3
Program-Specific FMEAs (continued)

For each Program-Specific FMEA (complete 10 steps)
1. Assign FMEA facilitator and team
2. Establish FMEA timing and scope
3. Gather relevant documentation
4. Perform FMEA analysis (according to FMEA standard) up
through Recommended Actions

5. Provide input to DVP&R or Process Control Plan
6. Review risk and recommended actions with management
7. Update FMEA project tracking
8. Execute Recommended Actions, and do new risk assessment
9. Review and approve all critical Supplier FMEAs
10. Ensure risk reduced to acceptable level and FMEA is completed
“by the book” Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 90

3
A Note on Doing Program-Specific FMEAs
Most companies have an FMEA “history”

Some successful
Some not successful
It helps to “clear the air”
What has been done right
What has been done wrong
Make a fresh start with “best practice”

Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
9

4
Management Review
(sometimes called Failure Review Board)
Management reviews FMEA high risk issues and
Recommended Actions (essential to ensure
understanding, buy-in, support, and adequacy)
FMEA reports/charts should be generated per
FMEA Strategic Plan
Feedback from management goes back to FMEA
Teams for review and incorporation

4
A Note on Management Reviews

There may already be a process in place to review
failure modes from field or test
Most companies “piggy-back” the review of FMEA
failure modes with the review of field or test failure
modes
A few suggestions:
Review only high risk FMEA failure modes
Have the “natural owner” of the failure mode
present problem/solution to management
Close the loop with FMEA Team to ensure
overall risk is reduced to acceptable level
Getting and Keeping Management
Support
Ask management “what

is it worth to prevent high
risk failure modes from
showing up in product or
process designs?”
Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
9

5
FMEA Quality Surveys

Each FMEA team (and internal customer of
FMEA) should be surveyed for FMEA
effectiveness
Surveys are based on FMEA Quality
Objectives
Surveys are in writing, 1 or 2 pages
Individual content can be confidential
Provides valuable feedback to improve future
FMEAs
5
FMEA Quality Objectives

1. DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS FMEA adequately drives Design Improvements
2. HIGH RISK FAILURE MODES FMEA addresses all high risk Failure Modes
3. DVP&R/CONTROL PLAN Comprehends failure modes from the Design FMEA
4. INTERFACES FMEA scope includes integration and interface failure modes
5. LESSONS LEARNED Warranty, field issues, “hardy perennials” included
6. KCDS CONNECTION The FMEA identifies appropriate KPC candidates
7. TIMING The FMEA is completed during the “Window of opportunity”
8. TEAM The right people participate as part of the FMEA team
9. DOCUMENTATION FMEA document is completely filled out “by the book”
10. TIME USAGE Effective and efficient use of time by FMEA Team

5
FMEA Quality Audits

In person audits of completed (or nearly completed)
FMEAs
Done with FMEA facilitator and core team
Performed by management of FMEA Process
Interview format
Pre-scheduled or random basis
Based on FMEA Quality Objectives
One hour maximum per audit
Provides valuable feedback to improve future FMEAs
Action Items identified for follow up Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 99
5
A Note on FMEA Quality Surveys/Audits
Focus on improving the FMEA process, not

on the person/team doing the FMEA
Don’t expect to instantly achieve all 10
objectives; work to maintain steady
improvement
Management audits demonstrate
commitment; in the words of W. Edwards
Deming: “Quality cannot be delegated”

Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
9

6
Supplier FMEAs
Potential higher risk system or subsystem
level failures can have their root cause in
Supplier components
FMEA Strategic Planning should determine
how to address Supplier FMEAs, and how to
identify which Suppliers require FMEA review
FMEA team can invite Suppliers to participate
on FMEA

6
Supplier FMEAs (continued)
For Suppliers who are identified as higher

risk:
Require submission of completed FMEA
for review and approval, prior to part
shipment
Review conducted by FMEA team or
qualified representative, based on FMEA
Quality Objectives
Supplier continues FMEA until Quality
Objectives met
6
A Note on Supplier FMEAs

It takes time to bring about the right
relationship with suppliers on FMEAs and
other Reliability tasks
Suppliers must aspire to subsystems and
parts that are failure-free during useful life
This must be supported by purchasing
contracts, supplier selection, specifications
and follow-up activity
Work in the direction of getting suppliers to do
proper FMEAs
Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
9

7
Execute Actions to Reduce or
Eliminate Risk
FMEA has little value unless the
Recommended Actions are fully executed.
Follow up each Recommended Action to
ensure:
Completion to satisfaction of FMEA Team
Risk eliminated or mitigated to acceptable level
Bring problems with execution back to
Management
Update Action Status and Risk Reduction in
FMEA database
7
A Note on Executing FMEA
Recommended Actions
Some companies file their FMEAs as soon

as Actions are identified
Some companies fail to follow up on
Recommended Actions
Some companies don’t close the loop to
ensure the risk is reduced
“Best practice” closes out all FMEA
Recommended Actions with risk reduced to
an acceptable level
7
What are Characteristics of
Successful FMEA Actions?
FMEA Recommended Actions should be
effective, detailed and executable
They should have management buy in
They should drive design improvements
FMEA teams should use the full range of
Reliability tools

Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
9

8
Linkage to Other Key Processes

Look for software that integrates with requirements from
Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) guidelines:
Generate new Process FMEAs based on existing Design
FMEAs
Create integrated:
Design Verification Plan and Report (DVP&R )

Process Control Plan (PCP)
Process Flow Diagram (PFD)
FMEAs can provide important input to other processes:
Design Reviews, Trade Studies, Reliability Growth Analysis,
etc.

8
Linkage to Other Key Processes
FMEA Process must be

integrated with the overall
Product Development Process

8
A Note on Linking FMEA to Other

Processes
FMEA can be implemented as a stand-

alone process and make significant design
improvements
Linking to other processes results in
efficiencies
It can also make the other processes more
effective

Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test & Linkage to
Field Other

9
Test and Field Failures

There needs to be a separate process and
database to capture all test and field failure
data:
Often called “FRACAS”
Provides updates to FMEAs, after initial FMEA
analyses are completed (called “post analysis
lessons learned)
High risk failure modes from FMEA are passed
on to FRACAS

9
A Note on Test and Field Failures
The best way to prevent recurring

problems is to backfill the FMEA with
lessons learned from field or test
Reference Peter Senge’s book The
Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice
of the Learning Organization, 1990

Stage
Program A
1A 4
Management
Develop & Develop
Review
Execute Program-
FMEA 2 3 Specific
Strategic FMEAs 7
Plan (Xfmea)
Develop 5 Execute
Generic Program B
1B FMEAs
Audits to Reduce/
Develop & (Xfmea)
Program-
Execute Specific
FMEA 3 FMEAs 6
Plan FMEAs
Test &
Linkage to
Field Other
9

10

Relational Database for all FMEA Projects
FMEA Standards: configurable to organization
Maintains Generic and Program-Specific FMEAs
Import-Export and Attachment Features
Linkage to Other Processes
Tracks Execution of Risk Reduction Actions
Generates Plots and Reports for Management
Reviews
Simultaneous FMEA users accessing database
10
A Note on Integrated Software Support
Some companies stay with Excel or

Access so they can tailor worksheets to
specific formats
They miss out on features of relational
database

Summarizing the Key Factors for
a Successful FMEA Process
¾ Active FMEA Champion
¾ Broad management support
¾ Strategic and Resource Planning
¾ FMEA process integrated with Business
Process
¾ Well trained FMEA Facilitators and Teams
¾ Management reviews and support
¾ Follow-up on all high risk issues
¾ FMEA Quality Audits
¾ Integrated FMEA software support
¾ Supplier FMEAs for higher risk parts
¾ FMEAs linked to other key processesCarl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 119

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Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 1

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 3

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 4

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 6

Everyone has an opinion!

 “waste of time,” “lack of support,” “don’t

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 8

 Is it a giant waste of time and

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 9

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 10

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 11

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 12

 Providing excellent FMEA facilitation

 Implementing a “best practice” FMEA

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 13

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 14

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 15

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 16

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 17

 Every part of FMEA procedure can

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 18

 Brainstorming gone amuck

 Misses the “forest for the trees”

 FMEAs that are too generalized or

William James, American Philosopher

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 21

The Key is to be “Risk Conscious”

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 22

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 23

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 24

“Good judgment comes from

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 25

What are the Key Factors that make for

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 26

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 27

The FMEA drives Product or

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 28

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 29

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 30

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 31

 The emphasis on this Quality Objective is to

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 33

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 34

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 35

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 36

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 37

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 38

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 39

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 40

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 41

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 42

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 43

 This is an underutilized element of

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 44

Carl Carlson, ReliaSoft Corp., Slide 45

“waste of time,” “lack of support,” “don’t

Is it a giant waste of time and

Providing excellent FMEA facilitation

Implementing a “best practice” FMEA

Every part of FMEA procedure can

Brainstorming gone amuck

Misses the “forest for the trees”

FMEAs that are too generalized or

The emphasis on this Quality Objective is to

This is an underutilized element of

Time spent prior to the first FMEA team

FMEA facilitation is a different subject than

What approval for FMEA Recommended Actions?

What FMEA reports are needed and when?

Which ones, what content, standard, level of detail,

Most companies have an FMEA “history”

Focus on improving the FMEA process, not